This week I have been writing about our trip to West Virginia. But it's Thursday Thirteen, so I will interrupt my journey - but will still write about West Virginia!
So here are 13 things about West Virginia. Sort of.
1. My father is originally from West Virginia and has family there. So as a child, we would sometimes go visit Carmen and Helen. They lived somewhere in Summersville. I could not find her house today if I had to.
2. Uncle Carmen and Aunt Helen's house was haunted. We stayed overnight many times. Rocking chairs moved. Clocks chimed that weren't supposed to be working. Banjos played music in the middle of the night. Water spigots turned themselves off and on.
3. We also used to camp in the Monongahela National Forest. One time a bear tried to get into the tent. I think that was the place, anyway.
4. Another place we visited was Cranberry Glades. This is a 750-acre bog in West Virginia. A boardwalk allows you to walk through the area, examining the unique flora and fauna.
5. Some of my ancestors are buried near Union, WV. This is not far from the Virginia state line.
6. My grandparents lived most of their young adult lives in West Virginia. When my father was a young teen, they moved to Salem, VA. A year after I was born, they moved to California, where they remain.
7. In 1992, my husband and I attempted to vacation in West Virginia. It rained buckets. We finally gave up and came home. Until this past weekend, we had not been back. It rained while we were in West Virginia this time, too. But not buckets.
Having run out of semi-personal things to say about West Virginia, here are a few other facts to fill out the 13:
8. West Virginia is the only state to have been created by presidential proclamation.
9. It has the oldest population of any of the states. The median age is 40.
10. West Virginia had the first state sales tax, beginning in 1921.
11. The first major land battle between the North and South in the Civil War was fought in West Virginia - The Battle of Phillipi, June 3, 1861.
12. Organ Cave in West Virginia is the third largest cave in the U.S.
13. The Golden Delicious apple originated in West Virginia. I guess Johnny Appleseed stopped there, eh?
That's it. A little more about West Virginia for my Thursday Thirteen. I hope you have enjoyed learning about my neighboring state.
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 203rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
WV is a beautiful state. I'd like to add one more thing about West Virginia...it has the best Italian food in the south!
ReplyDeleteI have drive through there on our way north but didn't know most of that stuff. Good list.
ReplyDelete#2 is interesting! would love to hear more on that!
ReplyDeleteOh, this does sound like an awesome trip. I'd like to know more about the haunted house. :)
ReplyDeleteAn interesting post. It sounds like you had a great vacation and have strong memories of other trips. I've only been through a small corner of WV, but did think it a pretty state.
ReplyDeleteBlooming Butterflies
It was very informative. I've only visited once.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Thursday!
http://harrietandfriends.com/2011/08/calif-woman-wont-get-jail-for-feeding-bears/
The newest edition of Appalachian Voices has stories about West Virginia's back-to-the-landers and it sounds so much like Floyd. Was West Virginia ever considered part of Virgina?
ReplyDeleteI haven't been in a haunted house with water phenomena. I have had the sound of running up and down basement steps, rattling doors when the running hits the top. Running on a second floor that was no longer that and the low clearance attic that replaced it was filled with fiberglass insulation, so no way for racoons or other animals to be responsible. Good times!
ReplyDeleteHappy T13,
~Xakara
13 Polys
Your aunt and uncle's house sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteWhat about "The Glass Castle" set in West Virginia? Wow, that really painted a picture.